Rainbow Runner

Day 107: "The job isn't finished until the paperwork is done." In the instance of weaving, the "paperwork" takes the form of tying fringe or otherwise securing the ends of the cloth so that they don't unravel. On a runner, hemming adds excessive bulk and diminishes the graceful drape of the fabric, but even with my handy-dandy fringe tool, twisting is a time-consuming and rather tedious project. I cringe at fringe, quail at the thought of all those tails, but diligent crafter that I am, I set a reasonable goal for each fringing session: halfway, or "through five sequences," or "I'll quit after ten minutes, no matter where I leave off." If I go farther, it's all to the good, but I must never, ever lay the piece aside before the goal has been reached. It took me three days to finish up the Rainbow Runner, and when I laid it over the harpsichord, the crick in my neck hardly mattered. Done and dusted!

'Til Hell Freezes Shut

Day 45: I am going to be tying fringe until hell freezes shut. Since the summer-and-winter will be an "heirloom" piece (not that I have any heirs), I decided to create a more luxurious fringe by doubling the number of strands over that left by the warp alone. I've hemstitched by fours, so each cluster receives an additional pair cut from the thrums (loom waste) which is folded over to yield four more ends. The two sets of four are then twisted together and tied. Although I wasn't thinking about how I was going to finish the weaving at the time, I am thankful I had the foresight to purchase a fringe-twister tool before reaching this point in the project. That little gadget is worth its weight in gold. I cannot imagine how long it would take to finger-twist it! I'm almost a quarter of the way done, so there's hope.